The present invention generally relates to picture information processing systems, and more particularly to a picture information processing system which processes a picture information so that oblique lines and the like in a picture will not be printed as unnaturally-looking staircase lines but will be smoothened and printed as smooth lines.
Conventionally, there is a known picture information processing system for processing a picture information so that the picture information can be printed in the form of a dot matrix. However, when the picture information which is processed in the conventional picture information processing system is printed by use of an output device such as a printer, a straight oblique line in a picture, for example, will actually be printed as an unnaturally-looking staircase line. Hence, in the case where the resolution of the output device is poor, the printed picture will look unnatural.
Accordingly, in another conventional picture information processing system, picture elements constituting the picture are respectively divided into a 3.times.3 dot matrix, for example, and processed. In this case, data of the nine dots making up one picture element are respectively corrected depending on data of the picture elements surrounding the one picture element. In other words, the nine dots making up the one picture element are selectively printed depending on the data of the picture elements surrounding the one picture element so that even a straight oblique line in the picture, for example, is printed as a smooth straight line. According to this other conventional picture information processing system, the oblique line in the picture is smoothened to a certain extent and printed as a more naturally-looking line. However, compared to the case where one picture element is printed by use of one dot, nine dots are used in the above example to print one picture element. Thus, in the above example, it becomes necessary to employ an output device having a resolution which is three times the resolution required to print the one picture element by use of one dot. As a result, the circuit construction of a circuit which processes the picture information becomes complex, and there is a problem in that an expensive output device having a high resolution must be employed.